all i'm gonna say is... you're all simps.
Hyosung stared at him for an elongated pause, carefully weighing out the options before her. As much as she'd love to beat him within an inch of his life for what he had put her through, it wasn't only unrealistic, but it was also risky. He may have been at a disadvantage, but so was she.
Sighing at the defeat, she knew her best bet was the cellphone.
"Whatever," She shook her head, her shoulders slumping as she allowed Seokjin to pull her along the path towards the building. Sure, she felt like a pig on a conveyer belt to a slaughterhouse, but she wasn't ready to be carved into pork loins just yet.
Noticing her sudden submission to him, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. This girl had been nothing but a pain in his ass, and even he had to admit it was well within reason, the entire time they had been together. His tone came out low and even, uncertain, "What are you plotting?"
Hyosung pursed her lips before irritably lifting their conjoined wrists with distaste, "Do I really look like I'm in any position to be plotting anything?"
He didn't look like he believed her, not with the look of scrutiny she was receiving. Her nerves jittered in her limbs, and she felt a thin sheen of sweat clam up her palms, was this where she lost her one chance of getting help? In the midst of her internal panic, however, Seokjin's dull eyes moved past her with mild disinterest as he kept walking.
Silently, Seokjin punched in the code to the bottom of the condo. A cheerful beep emitted from the speaker and with his free hand, he opened the door, holding it open long enough for Hyosung to trudge through. Despite the weathered and deteriorating exterior, the inside was fairly clean, the smell of bleach with a soft citrus scent of lemon hung in the air. The walls were a breezy light blue, void of any defacing graffiti.
"Caim," A voice broke the silence, echoing throughout the stairwell. Both parties looked up to see man leaning against the railguard, his elbows propped up as he looked down at them with a smug expression, "You're late."
Caim? Hyosung furrowed her brows.
Seokjin merely sighed, his exasperation coming off in waves, "Caim isn't home right now, can I take a message?" He sounded robotic, and absolutely done with life as he looked up at the stranger with little to no interest.
The man's eyebrows peaked, a knowing look flashing in his eyes, "Huh. He's trained you well, hasn't he, Kim Seokjin?" The man snickered, hazel eyes crinkling, as he began a sauntered descend down the stairwell to where Hyosung and Seokjin stood. As if only just noticing the woman literally attached to Seokjin, the man quirked a dark brow, "Who is this?"
Seokjin briefly glanced down at Hyosung before looking back up, his facade unwavering, "What is it you want to tell Caim, Oh Jusuk? You know he's listening."
Jusuk paused, faltering for a moment before an easy smirk slid onto his lips, clasping his hands behind his back as he stood at the foot of the stairs. Just from the way he held himself and from his facial expression alone, he gave off an aura of superiority and cockiness, Hyosung noted. She saw a similar look on Seokjin's face when she first had the displeasure of meeting him.
And as some kind of poetic injustice, he also happened to be visually pleasing. Strong dark brows, sharp jawline, his skin bore a honey glow and his hair parted and styled like he was some kind of idol. He wore a crisp white button up with the sleeves rolled midway up his forearms and ash grey suit pants hugged his thighs in a way that definitely shouldn't be socially acceptable. He was beautiful. And it was definitely not the sort of thing you should be thinking when your life currently hangs in balance of ethereal males.
It was at this moment, Hyosung decided that she would never trust another beautiful man ever again.
"Very well," Jusuk glanced down at his shoes with a wry grin before looking back up, "He's late. The superiors are awaiting news on his progress, and if they don't hear back from him by the end of the week, he's going to have a lot to answer to," Jusuk strolled closer, stopping just in front of Seokjin and leaning close. He was a little shorter than Seokjin so he had to jut his chin slightly to speak, but his leer never left his lips, "Caim, Caim, Caim... I've been rooting for you this entire time, buddy. But it's only seven sacrifices. What's taking you so long? The others are getting restless, I'd hurry if I were you."
Jusuk stepped back, biting his bottom lip thoughtfully before he turned his attention to Hosung. The smug expression fell into something that looked more alluring, more inviting. With a gracious smile and lidded eyes, he bowed his head slightly, "Should you ever wish to make a deal with a real gentleman, Oh Jusuk is the name, and giving humans whatever their heart thirsts for is the game."
"What are you even talking about?" Hyosung snapped. It was beyond clear that the man who stood before her had absolutely no desire to help her. She didn't need clarity to know he was an accomplice of some kind.
"You're not here to make a deal with Caim?" Jusuk raised his brows before a look of realization flashed in his eyes and he straightened up, cocking his head slightly, "Ah, I see. You must be the last little lamb. Apologies for being so forward, I just get a kick out of stealing clients."
Her brain had already been turned into impalpable mush from having to try and work out the meaning behind Seokjin's riddled nonsense, but having to try and figure out what Jusuk was saying as well had basically made the remaining grey matter evaporate. She knew it was a little cliche for villains, but was it really so hard for them to explain what the hell was going on?
"Is that everything?" Seokjin's dull tone bore into the monologue followed with another impartial sigh.
Jusuk feigned thoughtfulness, pouting his lips for a second before smiling, "... For now. I have other business to deal with as of now. Remember what I said, Caim. The clock is a-ticking!" With a soft chuckle, Jusuk rounded the two of them and made a swift exit to the outside world, whistling an unfamiliar tune as he did.
"And I thought you were certifiably insane..." Hyosung murmured, her brows pinching, "Oh wait, no, I still do."
He didn't respond and instead kept walking, dragging her up the stairs to the forth floor, where all the doors seemed boarded up, bar from one. Digging in his pocket, Seokjin pulled out a singular key, bare of any other keys or even keychains and he opened the door, pushing it open to expose a fairly large apartment inside. It was spacious, following a sleek black pattern, and while the windows weren't colossal or lucrative in any sense of the world, they still allowed the muted light from outside to flood the living space with dreamy spotlights.
But it was cold, detached and impersonal. There were no pictures on the surfaces or walls, or even homely touches like couch cushions or houseplants. It held the same warmth as a simple motel room.
Once the door was securely locked... twice, Seokjin guided them both towards the kitchenette, opening one of the top drawers to pull out a knife. Hyosung's eyes widened considerably, trying to flinch away, but she was anchored by the restraint around her wrist. Seokjin's eyes fixed on the startled expression tauting Hyosung's face, her shoulder coiled with tension, like she was expecting him to strike.
"Relax," He murmured, bring the knife down to their joined wrists. He heard her inhale sharply, but he continued, cutting the plastic swiftly before placing the knife back in the drawer and rubbing his wrist, "I told you, I have no intentions on killing you."
Hyosung wanted to bite back, to release all her unadulterated fury on him, but she was exhausted. He gave her absolutely no reason to trust him, after all, she was being put through the most traumatic experiences of her life, no thanks to him. She was certain her heart hadn't stopped racing since the night before, and if she pressed further, she may just go into cardiac arrest.
Besides, she had other things to prioritize. Like finding the perfect opportunity to use the phone she had up her sleeve.
The apartment was open plan, scarce of walls separating the rooms. Even the bedroom was brushed into the living room, the only seperatation being the three steps that lead up to where the bed was. There was only one room that had complete privacy.
"I need to use the shower," Hyosung said, her tone abrupt and to the point. Seokjin was silent for a brief moment and she gestured down at herself, "I'm still in my Halloween costume, which by the way, is covered in blood from the man you murdered and then shoved me in a trunk with. If you're telling the truth about not killing me, the least you can do is let me use the shower after everything you've done to me."
He entertained the thought for a moment longer before sighing, "Whatever, just be quick." He vaguely nodded in the direction of the bathroom, which was directly opposite where she stood.
Once she was inside, she locked the door, winching as she pressed her temples. There was no way she was going to be able to make a call in here, not without him hearing. She needed to be smart about this, otherwise she was as good as six feet under.
Although, realistically, expecting even a shallow grave felt like a reach considering Seokjin had no qualms leaving bodies in the middle of the road.
Exhaling through her nose, Hyosung did her best to center her nerves. It was now or never, overthinking wasn't going to save her. Looking around the bathroom, it entirely tiled with beige marble, the shower tucked in the corner of the room, although still a considerable size... There were just no windows.
"No wonder why he didn't put up a fight," She mumbled to herself, huffing in discontent before turning the shower on. The rush of the water filled the room as soft tufts of steam billowed upwards, curling around the light. She glanced back at the door, double checking she definitely locked it before pulling the phone out from her sleeve.
Like a silent mantra, she pleaded for the phone to work, and as if her luck was finally beginning to turn, not only did it turn on, but where it was only a simple phone, she had no password she had to try and figure out.
Now all she needed to do was work her next steps, carefully.
FOURTH CHOICE
choose wisely, each choice has a different outcome.
A || call the police -- he might hear you, and you don't know your location, but they can track you
B || text minhee -- you know her number, and she can help alert the authorities, but she's also miles and miles away
C || text a phone contact -- maybe they can help you, and they're also closer so they could know your location